Noel Sales Barcelona reports from the Philippines

Menu

BPO exam may result in unemployment among youth—Kabataan solon

ANTIPOLO CITY, Philippines–Re-electionist Kabataan partylist Rep. Raymond Palatino expressed fears about business process outsourcing (BPO) firms implementing a standardized competency examination, saying that it would only augment the burgeoning problem of unemployment among the youth.

Referring to the Business Process Association of the Philippines’ (BPAP) National Competency Test (BNCT), the young solon believes that the test will further narrow the prospects of employment for new graduates.

The BCNT, according the BPAP, would allow BPO firms to recruit faster and will provide job seekers easy access to open vacancies.

The examination, the BNCT said in a statement, is now taken in a voluntary basis but there is a possibility that it would become mandatory if more and more BPO companies will require this as part of their recruitment process.

The BNCT aims to measure the applicant’s proficiency in the English language (both oral and written), his/her computer literacy, typing speed and accuracy, and learning ability. The examinee will receive a grade for each test, the BPAP said.

Nevertheless, the test is a move to establish a national exam for BPOs, which is similar to the GMAT or the Graduate Management Admission Test or the former NCEE or the National College Entrance Examination.

Moreover, the exam aims to help the schools develop and design a curriculum, which is at par with the BPO industry’s standard, particularly on campus-based bridging programs, for students who want to land in call center job.

In order to take the BNCT, one is needed to shell out P500, which BPAP chief executive officer Oscar Sañez said is much “cheaper” than the usual test that BPO companies give.